


Lost in the Echo

by audra_accalia



Series: Audra's Story [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2018-11-21 19:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11364411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/audra_accalia/pseuds/audra_accalia
Summary: 06: it's a dark and stormy night when an injured Death Eater is brought to the Manor. Audra has the ability to save his life. But in doing so, she's going to need to do something she was forbidden from doing: she'll need to preform magic.





	1. Alchemy

**Author's Note:**

> slight trigger warning: mention of injury, blood mention, drug mention

A flash of lightning illuminated the world outside the kitchen window for a brief second before a crack of thunder shook the walls. Audra, having just finished the dishes, glanced up when there was a sudden commotion from the hall. Curious, she stuck her head out of the kitchen to see a group of soaking wet Death Eaters poured into the Manor, their muddy feet slipping on the slick hardwoods. She wanted to yell at them for ruining her hard work but the cold metal of the collar reminded her of her place.

One of the men broke off from the group and ran past her, sprinting up the stairs and towards the study. The remainder of the group was centered on holding up an individual in between them. Audra smelt the blood and knew something had happened. She rushed from the kitchen towards the group. “In here,” she said to the man closest to her, indicating the dining room to the left. She kept a few steps ahead of the group, giving her enough time to push the candlesticks from the center of the table before the body was laid out.

Malfoy groaned as his was set on his back, his hands making to grab the sharp wood protruding from his side. Blood was pouring from the wound and staining his white shirt. One of the Death Eaters had removed his robe and was attempting to stem the bleeding, causing Malfoy to cry in pain whenever the object was touched.

Voldemort entered the room followed by the messenger, His calculating eyes attempting to take in the situation. “What happened?” He asked the room.

“My Lord,” began Mott, “we were ambushed by aurors. One of them enchanted a stool leg and he got Lucius.” Upon hearing his name, Malfoy howled. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“He needs to go to St. Mungo’s!” interjected McKinnon, “we can’t fix this.”

“He’ll be arrested if you take him there,” replied Audra. She received five very nasty looks but she continued on, “that’s a very particular wound. With a report from the auror coupled with his Dark Mark he doesn’t stand a chance.”

Voldemort nodded in agreement. “He stays here. Can any of you heal?”

Five very ashamed faces turned their heads away, not wanting to admit their inadequacies. Malfoy continued to moan from between his teeth. 

< _Master, I can,_ > Audra mind-flashed, < _I can heal._ >

< _Do it._ >

< _I need permission. You have to give me permission._ >

She looked Him in the eye and Voldemort regarded His servant. Finally, He nodded. “You have permission,” He said aloud.

Without wasting any more time Audra approached the table. “Move,” she ordered the Death Eater stemming the flow. Her sudden authority confused Yaxley, but a quick glance at the Dark Lord’s nod and he complied. She took up the abandoned position and held the fabric to the wound. “In the library there is a large, dark green book with symbols on the cover. It should be out on the table; bring it here,” she ordered. He nodded and disappeared.

She turned to another onlooker. “I need bowls, preferably stone, from the kitchen.” Avery went to retrieve her required objects. She turned to the remaining three and asked, “When are your birthdays?”

“December 27th,” said Mott. 

“April 2nd,” from McKinnon.

“June 13th,” answered Wilkinson.

She pointed to Mott. “You win – stand right next to me; to my right,” she instructed. “Keep your left hand on the table, palm up.” He looked at her perplexed, but followed orders. She pointed to the second man, “You stand behind him. And you go fetch me Josh Trappe.”

Wilkinson nodded and Disapperated right as the book fetcher reappeared. “Excellent,” she said, “find the recipe for hemogenesis, should be ear marked towards the middle.”

Yaxley flipped through the pages before finally finding the requested spell. “I found it,” he announced.

“Good, I need that entire ingredient list. Go get it."

“How am I supposed to get it?”

Audra looked up from observing the wound and at the man. “You’re a member of a criminal organization, right? Fucking steal it,” she ordered. “And take Avery with you,” she added, indicating the one weighed down with stone bowls. He set down his load before the two Disapperated.

Lucius shifted under her, the groan coming from both the wound and his mouth. Audra looked to his face and noticed he was paler than normal underneath beads of sweat. “On second thought,” she said, nudging the man standing in queue, “get a bowl of water and a rag and mop up his face. You’ll catch this one later.”

“Catch me?” Mott asked.

Audra ignored the question, still focusing on Malfoy. “I would ask how your feeling, but I’m going to assume it’s not good,” she said gently to him. “I’m going to need you to stay with me, ok? Just keep breathing.”

Lucius glared and hissed at her through gritted teeth before laying his head back on the table. McKinnon mopped his forehead.

“Ye need me, Sensei?” questioned Trappe as he entered the room.

“Yeah, Sempai, come stand on my left,” she instructed. Without hesitation he complied. “And you, stand behind him,” Audra directed task-less Wilkinson.

“What the hell am I doing here?” Mott agitatedly asked.

Audra once again ignored the question. She turned to Trappe and said, “in a minute, but not yet, I’m going to need you to pull the wood out and then stem as much bleeding as you can. I’m going to have to check for internal damage before I can start healing. Can you handle that?”

“Aye, Sensei,” he said, removing his robe and rolling up his sleeves. “Jus’ give me the word. 

Annoyed at having been ignored for so long, Mott finally shouted, “just what the hell am I doing here?!?!”

Audra turned her attention to Mott and said, “this!” She grabbed Mott’s exposed hand with both thumbs pressed onto the center of his palm. She rolled her thumbs forward and there was a burst of energy, like a sound wave leaving a powerful bass speaker. The air smelt of ocean as her aura filled all available space. She pushed her thumb tips into the palm and the smell changed to fresh clay. Mott’s eyes glazed over and he dropped suddenly; Wilkinson was caught so off guard he had to stoop to keep Mott from hitting the ground hard.

“What the fuck was that!” shouted McKinnon.

Engrossed in her task, Audra instructed, “Now, Sempai.” Trappe grabbed the rod with both hands and pulled straight up, bringing the entire object out in one swift motion. Malfoy screamed and then went still as he passed out.

“We lost him, Sensei,” Trappe noted, pushing the cloth onto his side while looking at his head. “Try an’ rouse him,” he said to McKinnon. The man was staring at Audra wide-eyed, unable to move past what he saw. “Hey!” shouted Trappe, nudging him with his hip, “did ye hear me?”

McKinnon shook his head to clear his mind, mumbled, “yes sir,” and began to lightly slap Malfoy’s face while continuing to mop up sweat. Even with a task, McKinnon still kept one eye on Audra.

Audra had her fingers inside Malfoy’s body, feeling around for any damage. There was a rich blue glow outlining her form and the smell of the ocean was stronger than Trappe had ever smelt this far from it. She was completely immersed in her task and would be unable to direct the troops.

“Wilkinson,” Trappe said to the man still supporting a k.o.’d Mott, “take him intae the lounge an’ lay him out. Leave him with a glass o’ water an’ saltine crackers before reporting back here.” Wilkinson nodded and quickly scuttled out.

Having watched everything from beside the doorway, Voldemort finally approached the table. He looked from Malfoy’s unconscious face to McKinnon’s apprehensive one, then to Trappe who was looking between the wound and Audra’s face, and finally to Audra. Her eyes were closed but her lips were moving, whispering enchantments in an ancient tongue. The smell of brine was stronger the closer He reached, bringing back old memories He had long ago locked away. Her fingers moved delicately within the flesh, the blue-hue glow emanating from within the wound. “How is he?” the Dark Lord asked.

No response came from Audra. Trappe waited for a moment before answering, “it’s a clean wound. Shouldn’t be a hard heal sew long as it didn’t nick anything important. Judging from the location, the only organs I’d be worried about would be the small intestine an’ maybe kidney depending on how deep.” He shifted the blood mop slightly, giving Audra more space to work. “I’m more concerned about the loss of blood. This is a lot.”

Sensing that Audra would not be part of this conversation, Voldemort continued to question Trappe as if she weren’t there. “She wanted a spell for ‘hemogenesis’ from the green book.”

Trappe thought for a second and then nodded. “Tha’ sounds like alchemy. I know she’d been reading yer library.”

Voldemort was silent as He watched Audra work. Admittedly, He knew nothing about healing, being that He didn’t much care to be of use to others in that way. But He had never witnessed the school nurse performing this kind of work. And without a wand? Voldemort was slowly becoming more confident with wand-less magic but for a mudblood to just dive right in? It seemed He knew very little about His servant even though He’d had her for three years now. “Has she ever done this before?” questioned Voldemort.

Trappe tilted his head back a forth. “Ne’er this extensive, but yeah. She’ll heal me when we spar; mostly jus’ broken bones, bruises, small cuts, stuff like tha’. Daen’t really wan’ tae explain tae me wife why I’ve geat a black eye, ya knae?” He pushed his long hair back behind his ear. Noticing Audra’s was also in her face, he did her the same kindness.

The contact seemed to awaken Audra. Without opening her eyes, she turned towards Trappe and stated, “It perforated the small intestine in a few spots, but nothing too extensive. I think I’ve got most of it.”

“Well make sure ye get all o’ it,” he calmly instructed, “Death by septic shock is nasty.” She returned to her work, running her fingers over the intestine. Trappe watched her hands, helping to be another set of eyes. “There, richt next tae yer right index.”

Audra sealed the breach in a second. “Thanks, Hotlips.”

“Was tha’ a M*A*S*H reference?” Audra just smiled in response.

“That’s the last of it,” she announced. “Mop up the excess blood in the cavity and I’ll seal it.” She removed her hands from the within the stomach and finally opened her eyes. The same blue haze that had surrounded her body had also covered her cornea, almost as if she was completely blind. She looked at Voldemort and said, “Internal damage wasn’t too extensive. He shouldn’t have any lasting effects. If Yaxley and Avery ever return, I can replace the blood he has lost.”

Voldemort nodded. “Do what you must.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Alright Sensei, I think we’re gewd here,” said Trappe from beside her.

She placed her hands lightly on the exposed belly, just covering the gaping wound. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and the glow once again grew stronger around her fingers. Voldemort watched as new skin tissue formed off of the old, bridging the gap and seamlessly stitching together. As the work progressed closer to completion the glow began to dull until it faded entirely. The wound healed and she removed her hands, breathing heavily. 

“Dae ye need tae take a break?” asked Trappe.

Audra just shook her head. < _No, but I do need your help. Can you keep me standing?_ >

< _Imperius?_ > he replied. She slightly nodded. Without raising suspicion, he pointed his wand at her from beneath the table and casted the spell. Her spine went slightly more rigid as she adjusted to the enchantment. She accepted the glass of water offered to her from Trappe. “Thanks,” she meekly said, taking a sip.

“Wha’s next?” questioned Trappe.

“Hemogenesis,” said Audra, walking to the buffet table against the wall. “I need this there,” she indicated the area beside the dining table. Trappe nodded and enchanted the table to follow her instructions. Audra removed the items on top and placed them inside the cabinet. “And I need those bowls,” she pointed to the stack Avery had deposited next to the door. Once again Trappe charmed the items to her direction. “Pretty much I’ll be creating more of his blood.”

“Using alchemy.”

Audra nodded. “Yeah, using alchemy.”

“I didn’t know ye could dew tha’.”

“Try to not be surprised but I do know magic,” joked Audra. 

Trappe’s grin matched hers. “Shocker.”

“But yeah – I learned alchemy instead of Transfiguration,” she continued, arranging the bowls into the five points of a star with the final one in the center. “I didn’t like Transfiguration…. I didn’t like hearing the animals in pain…. So McGonagall gave me the option to learn this. I had to essentially teach myself in her office during class hours. I got to test out of Transfiguration for my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s practical; but I still had to take the written theoretical exam. Do you have chalk?”

Trappe grabbed a toothpick from the dispenser and tapped it with his wand; it turned into a stick of chalk. “See, if ye knew Transfiguration, ye could have done tha’.”

Audra accepted the chalk. “And if I had anything calcium carbonate, I could have used alchemy.” She drew in the lines of the pentagram between the bowls before connecting the points within a circle. “The concept of alchemy is pretty simple: energy cannot be created nor destroyed, just converted.”

“The Law of Equivalent Exchange,” noted Voldemort.

“Exactly,” she said, pointing at Voldemort. “You pretty much just gather all the components that are the elements being used, and then use an alchemy circle as a catalyst and aura as fuel.” She tapped the chalk outside the circle, thinking. “Fuck, I can’t remember the symbols…” she muttered. “Where the fuck are they?” As if she summoned them with her lament, the sound of the front door could be heard down the hall. “Finally!” she exclaimed, leaving her spot and hustling to the door. “I’ll take that,” she said, taking the book from Yaxley’s hands as he walked through the door, “leave the rest over there,” she indicated the area around her alchemy circle.

As Audra flipped through the pages, Trappe began emptying the bag Avery handed him. “Wha’ the hell dae ye need bananas fer?” he asked, holding up a bunch of bananas.

Audra stared at him blankly before turning towards Yaxley. “That’s a good question – why would I need a bunch of bananas?” she asked the man.

Yaxley pointed an accusing finger at the book. “It said to get potassium! Bananas are high in potassium!”

She continued to stare, her expression remaining unchanged, before she sighed, “God fucking dammit this is a fucking nightmare.”

“An’ the coconuts?” asked Trappe.

“Those I actually do need,” she said, “coconut water makes an excellent replacement for plasma.

“Here,” she said, handing Yaxley a scrap paper she had been using as a bookmark, “I need the items on this list. And this time, make sure you rob a hospital and not a fucking market – can you do that?”

Yaxley’s lip curled as he started with a retort. But a quick, “Do as she said,” order from Voldemort, and the man left the room without much more of a fight.

Audra joined Trappe at the buffet table and verified the items displayed. Granted, she was hoping for more raw elements rather than what she was presented, but apparently her instruction was not specific enough for ‘hey rob a chemistry stock room’ to have been understood. Instead she had bananas for potassium, table salt for sodium, iron nails, and coconuts still in the husk. She picked up a coconut and gave it a good shake before holding it to her ear; fortunately, she could hear the liquid sloshing around inside.

“I can’t wait tae see how the hell ye pull this off,” commented Trappe, also surveying the items.

“You and me both,” she replied. “I need you to crack open these,” she said, placing a hand on the coconut pile. “Drain the water into this bowl,” she indicated the bowl at the seven o’clock position, “use the butcher’s knife.”

“Aye, Sensei,” he said before going to the kitchen for the knife.

Meanwhile, Audra skinned the bananas and placed them in the bowl at three o’clock. She poured a small amount of salt in the bowl at five o’clock, and added the iron nails to the nine o’clock.

“McKinnon,” she said, looking at the man. “I need you to wring out as much of Malfoy’s blood as you can into this bowl.” She pointed at the abandoned blood soaked robe and then at the twelve o’clock bowl. “The more I have, the better.” Having seen exactly what Audra was capable of left little desire within McKinnon to backtalk and he quickly got to work.

As the two men worked to complete her requests beside her, Audra finished drawing the alchemy symbols within the circle. She had to flip back-and-forth several times to confirm her work and even carried out a few calculations outside the circle to verify she was writing the correct percentages of each element. Trappe and Voldemort both watched her work, intrigued to learn more about alchemy, though for different reasons. “I know you both have questions, but I’ll answer them later,” was all Audra commented in recognition of their requests.

Ten minutes later and Audra was finally ready to began the hardest part of the evening. “Alright,” she announced, “it looks like potassium is going to be my rate limiting factor. With that in mind,” she tapped the calculations with her chalk, “I should make about two pints.”

Voldemort looked towards Malfoy’s body and asked, “Will that be enough?”

Audra shrugged. “He’s lost probably closer to three pints, assuming that twenty-five percent was recovered,” she indicated the bowl of wrung-out blood. “But his body should be able to make that on its own. Though he will have to do transfusions with real blood for the next few months. Just to be sure.

“Hey Avery, come here,” she instructed. Having not witnessed Mott’s demise, Avery approached her without hesitation. “Give me your hand.” By the time McKinnon called out his warning it was too late; Audra had Avery’s hand in her own, the smell of barley touched the air, and Avery dropped into Trappe’s waiting arms.

“That was stupidly easy,” she snickered, placing her hands inside the transmutation circle. The chalk lines changed from white to a pulsating gold and the smell of brine once again filled the air. “You’ve really got to get yourself some smarter Death Eaters,” she said to the Dark Lord. 

He watched Trappe carry the knocked-out man from the room. “So are you just going to kill all the dumb ones?” He asked flippantly.

Audra rolled her eyes. “I’m not killing them; I’m borrowing some of their aura to lend a boost to mine. They’ll be fine in an hour or two.”

Voldemort watched as the items in the bowls dwindled at a snail’s pace while the bowl in the very center had started collecting a red liquid, drop by drop. “And this is alchemy,” He stated.

She nodded. “Yes, it’s alchemy. It’s kind of like muggle chemistry but it uses magic to accomplish reactions. In simple terms, you figure out how much of what element you need to make the desired product. Over here,” she nodded towards the calculations, “I used stoichiometry to figure out the exact numbers.”

Having returned to the room, Trappe asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Stoi-wha’?”

Audra smiled. “I see you didn’t take arithmancy.” 

“I did,” interjected Voldemort, “and I don’t recall stoichiometry.”

Audra nodded. “It wasn’t part of the curriculum. I had extra classes at night.” 

Suddenly, as if a light had turned on, Voldemort became very serious. His eyes narrowed as He surveyed His servant. “Could you make the philosopher’s stone?” He questioned. 

Audra raised an eyebrow at Voldemort as if challenging what He had said. “Huh,” she finally exhaled, “just two hours ago you didn’t think I could do magic and now you’re asking me to make the Elixir of Life.”   Seeing His hard expression, she continued, “get me the Book of Abraham and we’ll see what I can do.” 

The excitement was hidden under a layer of cool authority as He asked, “Where is it?”

“You’re asking the person who’s be stuck inside a house for three years with no contact to the outside world,” Audra sarcastically replied. Quite suddenly there was a pressure around her neck, squeezing from all sides as the silver band tightened. As quickly as it came, it left and Audra coughed.

“Remember your place, mudblood,” hissed Voldemort. “Your ability has made you arrogant." 

She lowered her eyes obediently and muttered, “yes, Master.”

A blanket of silence fell over the occupants and the minutes stretched on. Having noticed Audra’s hair continuing to get in her eyes, Trappe set to work fastening it within a loose braid and Audra’s quiet, “thank you,” were the only words uttered in an otherwise silent half hour.

Just as the last whole banana had started to disappear, sitting in a pile of pale colored mush, the sound of the front door opening and closing announced the return of Yaxley. “Good, your back,” stated Audra, watching the man. She turned to Trappe standing beside her. “I trust you know how to establish an IV?” Audra said, nodding her head towards the items in Yaxley’s hands.

Trappe looked at the medical equipment and then back at Audra. “An’ why wood ye assume tha’?”

Audra raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Didn’t think I’d notice your pocket marks, huh?” Trappe made to roll down his sleeve but thought better of it, deciding the motion would be too suspicious. Audra rolled her eyes. “Look, I don’t give a shit if you’re trainspotting. Your grouping is consistent to the point of unnoticeable to the untrained eye; I know you know how to find a vein so find his.”

Trappe opened his mouth as if to reply, but then decided against it. Before he left her side, he tapped her heel with his toe, a signal indicating he wanted to mind-flash.

< _I’m going to guess heroine,_ > she thought to him, making sure to keep her attention on the table in front of her so as not to raise suspicion to the private conversation.

Trappe, likewise, progressed around the head of the table and relieved Yaxley of his burden. < _Aye. I only dew it when I can’t fall asleep._ >

< _You don’t need to explain yourself; I’m not your priest._ >

< _Naw, bu’ ye are m’ friend. An’ I daen’t wan’ ye tae think less o’ me._ >

Audra raised her eyes inconspicuously, looking across the space at her friend. He too did the same, and the two held contact for a brief second before diverting to their separate tasks. < _Just be careful,_ > is all she said in response, “and do it right.”

“Aye, Sensei.”

Trappe pushed up Malfoy’s sleeve and tied a strip of cloth around the upper arm, trying to stimulate the vein to come to the surface. He flicked the skin a couple times, paused, and then repeated. He furrowed his brow and held his fingers to the body’s neck. “Sensei,” Trappe said, looking up and across the width of the two tables, “we have a problem. We lost him.”

Audra did not lift her hand from the transmutation circle, but she did look up. “Come again?”

“He’s naet breathing, an’ I’ve gaet nae pulse.”

“Start CPR,” she ordered.

“Audra –”

“I said start CPR,” she stated with significantly more force.

“Ye know it’s pointless, richt?” he spat at her.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Trappe sighed but replied, “As ye wish,” and swung himself onto the table so that he was straddling Malfoy’s hips. “Yaxley, come here,” he ordered as he began chest compressions, “I’m going tae need ye tae dew the breaths.”

As Trappe instructed his assistant, Audra turned to the last available one. “McKinnon, come here,” she ordered. The man looked startled, debating if he wanted to get any closer than the arm’s length he was currently at. Finally, he shook his head no and took a step back. “I said, come here,” she snarled.

“You’re going to kill me,” he said, the fear evident in his voice. “You’re going to kill me like you killed them.” 

Audra rolled her eyes. “Ok, first off, I didn’t kill them. I just borrowed a bit of their aura. Secondly, I have no reason to kill you.”

“You’re just saying that.” 

Audra sighed heavily, her aura crackling around her as her last nerve was tested. “How would I benefit from killing you right now? What do I have to gain?” she asked. “As of this moment there is one dead person in the room. The goal is to have no dead people. If I kill you, I’ll be a step further from that goal." 

McKinnon took a further step back, obviously debating if he wanted to just leave all together.

Realizing force would get her nowhere, Audra sighed and rolled her shoulders. Speaking notably softer, Audra continued. “Listen, McKinnon. Right now I need to help revive Malfoy. But I can’t stop doing this,” she nodded at the alchemy in front of her. “All I need from you is to take over from me here. All I have to do is wake up your aura and you’ll just do what I’m doing, ok? You’re only going to get tired; I’m getting tired. But you won’t die. I promise." 

Audra looked at his face, waiting for him to look up and meet her eyes. She nodded slightly, hoping her encouraging movement would ease his worries. Hesitantly, McKinnon slowly approached her and nodded. She took his offered hands in her own, with her thumbs pressed into his palms. “You’re going to feel a warm tingle starting from here and up your arm,” she reassured him. She waited for his nod before massaging open the gates. “Do you smell that?” she asked; he nodded. “That’s your aura. What do you smell?”

McKinnon thought for a minute before he whispered, “it smells like the hot metal from my parent’s stove chimney.”

Audra smiled. “You can do this, ok? Just put your hands right here,” she guided his hands to the symbols in front of her. “You just keep your hands here. When that banana is gone,” she indicated the bowl with the half-fruit remaining, “then take your hands off, ok? Just relax and you’ll be fine.”

“Sensei,” came Trappe’s labored voice, “If ye’ve… gaet… a trick… now’s the time.”

“I do, but you’re not going to like it,” she said, moving to the head of the table.

Trappe watched her, certain that she was about to do something really stupid. “Audra… wha’ are ye… doin’?” he warily asked.

“Probably the most Gryffindor thing I’ve ever done,” she admitted, “something really, really stupid.”

Trappe’s compression slowed, his attention fully shifting to his friend. “Audra –”

“Whatever happens, don’t you stop doing what needs to be done,” she pointed her finger threateningly at Trappe, “Even if I’m not here.”  Now Voldemort was as alert as Trappe, moving towards Audra. “Accalia –” She stood at Malfoy’s head, waiting for Yaxley to finish giving the two breaths. He let go and Audra in turn placed her fingers on Malfoy’s temple, angling his skull slightly towards her. She placed her forehead upon his and closed her eyes. “ _Min ruwhi ‘iilaa yadkum_ ,” she breathed. Golden lights emanated in the space between them, pulsing like a heartbeat. Without opening her eyes, Audra moved her head forward and hovered over Malfoy’s lips, the light following her breath into his open mouth. Malfoy coughed at the same time Audra collapsed.


	2. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voldemort finally sees Audra in another light.

Audra was just starting to nod off when a voice from the door said, “How is he?”  Audra shook her head slightly and blinked a few times before looking at the speaker.  “His vitals are normal, but he’s still out cold,” she said to Voldemort.  She reached over and placed her fingertips against his neck, checking the pulse.  She counted the number of beats, confirming her statement.

Voldemort placed Himself beside her, pulling back the blanket and observing Malfoy’s side.  For as bad of a wound as it was, Audra did a remarkable job.  The skin was glossy and pink against the pale background.  Other than a three-inch long scar there was no other indication that the man had been recently injured.  “You did impressive work,” He recognized, replacing the covering.

Audra lowered her eyes and nodded.  “Thank you, Master.  Your praise means a lot.”

“Why did you never tell me you were a healer?” He questioned, placing His hand on the back of her chair.

“Permission to speak freely?” she asked meekly.

“Granted.”

She looked up at His face.  “You never cared to know.”  She wanted for an indication that she had stepped out of line but He provided none.  She continued, “You’ve known me for three years now.  For three years I have worked for you and you never cared to know about me.  When you met me all you cared about was my blood status.  You didn’t recognize that I had the same education as you.  You didn’t realize that I had to work harder than my peers who had a decade’s head start.  It never crossed your mind that perhaps I was given this opportunity because I am just as good as they are; that I have the potential to be just as good as you are.”  She paused, waiting for Him to reply; He, however, remained silent.  “And look at what good it did me… waiting on people hand-and-foot, being called mudblood like it’s my name, serving tea…” she spat.  Looking up at the clock, she added, “speaking of,” and getting to her feet.

Voldemort grabbed her arm and directed her back down.  “Don’t worry about that tonight,” He said, gently.  She nodded and fidgeted into a more comfortable position.  “Why do you want to be a Death Eater?” He asked with His eyes fixed on her face.

Audra shook her head and exhaled.  “Like that matters anymore.”

“It does.”

She rolled her eyes in response.  “I’ve accepted the fact that this is my life now.”  The way she spoke made it seem to Voldemort that she was trying to convince herself more so than Him.  “And at the end of it all, it doesn’t matter.  Yeah, I had something to prove to the world, to prove to myself.  That I’m tough enough, smart enough, magic enough to run with the elite.”  She shook her head, laughing slightly.

“Tonight you were.”

She continued shaking her head, looking at her feet.  “Look – I’ve got a roof over my head, a fully stocked kitchen, and a relatively decent life, once you get over the whole slave thing.  But isn’t that what life is anyways?  Being a slave to a nine to five job just to make money to buy things you don’t need.”  She went silent pulling her hair out of the braid Trappe had put it in.  “I always wanted my life to have a purpose.  And if that purpose is to serve you your fucking tea, well then,” she said, looking Him in the eye, “drink motherfucker, drink.”

Voldemort softly chuckled.  “This is why I like you,” He said to Himself.  When Audra looked at Him, He elaborated, “Everyone else tells me what I want to hear; you tell me what you want to say.”

Eyebrow raised in disbelief, she said, “I didn’t realize that was something you wanted.”

Voldemort shrugged.  “It’s something I’ve learned to value.”

“May I ask a question?”

“You just did,” He replied smiling.

Audra rolled her eyes.  “You’ve developed a sense of humor; how wonderful.”  His relaxed posture egged her on.  “But seriously, if you want opinions, why don’t you give your followers more room to speak?”

Voldemort was silent, considering her words.  Finally, He replied, “Some of them do.  Malfoy, Trappe, Bellatrix, a few others… you,” He said, waving His hand vaguely between the body on the table and her.  “But for the most part, none of them have anything valuable to say.”

After a long moment, Voldemort added quietly, “Thank you for saving him.”

Audra was silent, letting the appreciation sink in.  “Of course,” she said, placing her hand on His.  “It’s my job to serve and protect.”

“And, apparently, to be a necromancer,” He added.

She shook her head and smiled.  “That doesn’t count as necromancy.  I just used my soul to jumpstart his aura.  Honestly, I didn’t know it would work,” she laughed slightly.  “I just read about it and decided to give it a go.  Necromancy is completely different.  I’ve read about it but have never tried….” she trailed off.

“Trappe and I both thought you had died when you collapsed,” admitted the Dark Lord.

Audra shrugged.  “I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t a possibility.”

“Then why did you do it?”

She knotted her eyebrows at him.  “Because?  I mean, if you think about it, the vast majority of things I do come with that possibility.  Meeting you the first time, you threatened to kill me, remember?”

Voldemort looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall the memory.  Eventually, he gave a noncommittal shrug. 

Audra continued, “but if I let the fear of death stop me from doing things, well then, nothing would ever be accomplished.  Guess that’s why I’m a Gryffindor – ‘do stupid brave things quickly’.”

Voldemort smiled, “I had no idea you were a Gryffindor.”

“What did you think I was?”

“Honestly, I assume everyone to be a Slytherin,” He said with a shrug.

Audra laughed.  “You realize Trappe is a Hufflepuff, right?”  Voldemort’s eyes grew in response, causing Audra to smile.  “Sometimes it’s good to have a little variety in your line-up; makes for a stronger team.”

Voldemort changed the subject.  “Can you do wand-less magic?” He questioned.

Audra shrugged.  “I don’t think I can.”

“You did this evening.”

This time, she shook her head.  “That’s not the same.  The healing was using my aura; it’s not like I can heal with my wand.  And alchemy is just straight chemistry; no wand required.”  Slightly exasperated, she added, “it’s not like I could charm those coconuts to dance,” while giving said fruit a nasty look.

Voldemort shrugged.  “Try.”

Audra narrowed her eyes at Him, trying to understand His motives.  He raised His hairless brow at her before looking expectantly at the discarded husks.  Sighing, she shifted her attention to the fruits.  She thought, ‘ _Tarantallegra_ ,’ while staring intently.  Getting nowhere, she leaned forward, as if getting closer to her target would help.

“Try the motion with your fingers,” instructed Voldemort.

Audra attempted to draw the wand movement but still the fruit would not budge.  After a few unsuccessful finger flicks, she realized how stupid she must look at that moment.  She sighed and broke eye contact.  “I guess the answer is no.”

Voldemort shrugged.  “That’s too bad,” He said to Himself.  Addressing Audra, He said, “You are released from your duties this evening.  Get some rest; I’ll need you at full strength tomorrow.”

“Yes, Master.  If it’s alright, I’d like to stay with him; to make sure nothing happens.”

“That would be fine.  If you should need me, I’ll be in my study.”

Audra bowed her head and whispered, “thank you, Master.”

Voldemort gave her shoulder a slight squeeze before leaving the room without another word. 

**Author's Note:**

> This one is still a work in progress. Please comment with anything you notice that I can fix.


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